The matter began with nothing - with a gunpowder match. It's not so long ago that it was invented. Will a hundred years be gained with a small child? At first, when the powder flask began to be used, there was a lot of trickery about it. Which is completely in vain. Who, say, came up with the idea of ​​​​making turned straws, who again began to lubricate matches with such a composition so that they would burn with different lights: crimson, green, and whatnot. There was also a lot of weirdness with the capping. To put it bluntly, the powder match was all the rage.

I’m not going to say it about people, I’m going to say it about myself. In those years when people began to join collective farms in droves, I was no longer young. Instead of light brown curls, he grew a bald spot all over his head. And my old woman did not look young. Previously, I used to call it a singing machine, but now it looks like a sharpening machine. It wears me down and wears me down: this is missing, this is missing.

Among people, men take care of everything, but with us, as soon as it drags along and evaporates in the bathhouse, it’s on the side. And he has no thoughts about anything!

In these places, before, there would have been no way for a common man to survive: the beast would have eaten him or the vile would have overcome him. At first these places were inhabited by heroes. They, of course, looked like people, only very large and made of stone. It’s easier for this one, of course: the beast won’t bite him to death, the gadfly is completely at ease, he can’t be bothered by the heat and cold, and there’s no need for houses.

One of these stone heroes stood in for the eldest, named Denezhkin. You see, he answered with a glass with small money from all sorts of local stones and ore. That hero’s nickname was based on these ore and stone money.

The glass, of course, is heroic - taller than a man, much larger than a forty-bucket barrel. That glass is made from the finest golden topaz and is so finely and cleanly carved that it couldn’t be further from it. Ore and stone money are visible right through, and the power of this money is such that it shows the place.

By the way, we are not very rich here. All we have are mountains and spoons, spoons and mountains. You can't go around them, you can't go around them. Mountain, of course, grief is different. Nobody even takes the other one into account, but not only in their own district, but even distant people know the other: she is well-known, famous.

There was one such mountain right next to our plant. At first, for a mile, or even more, there is such a pull that even a strong horse walks lightly, and it is covered in soap, and then you still have to overcome the vultures, like the most difficult scallop to climb. What can I say, a remarkable hill. Once you pass or pass, you will remember it for a long time and will tell others.

We have one logo across the pond that has been famous for a long time. Such a fun place. The spoon is wide. In the spring it gets a little wet here, but the grass grows curlier and there are more flowers. All around, of course, there are forests of all kinds. It's nice to have a look. And it’s handy to pester from the pond to that logo: the shore is not steep and not flat, but, so to speak, as if it had been settled on purpose, and the bottom is sand with hazel grouse. The bottom is completely strong, and it doesn’t hurt your leg. In a word, everything is as imagined. You could say that this place itself is inviting: it’s nice to sit here on the bank, smoke a pipe or two, light a fire, and let us take a look at our factory—wouldn’t our little creature seem better?

The local people have been accustomed to this spoon since time immemorial. Even under the Mosolovs, fashion started.

They - these Mosolov brothers, under whom our factory began its construction, came from the carpenter's rank. In modern terms, apparently there were contractors. Yes, you got very rich and let’s set up your own factory. This means they swam out into deep water. They became heavy with wealth, of course. All three brothers forgot to walk along the rafters with a spirit level and a plumb line. They say in one word:

Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka.

I can’t say who came up with such nicknames for them and why. These guys lived amicably among themselves. They matched it. The same intelligence, the same strength, the same height and years. And there was no big difference in life. Lank's father was a miner, Lake's was grieving on the golden sands, and mothers, as you know, toiled around the house. The guys had nothing to be proud of in front of each other.

Katya - Danilova's fiancée - remained unmarried. Two or three years have passed since Danilo got lost, and she has completely left the bride’s time. In twenty years, in our opinion, in the factory way, it is considered too old. Guys like this rarely match, widowers do it more often. Well, this Katya, apparently, was pretty, all the suitors are approaching her, but all she has to say is:

Danilo made a promise.

There have been many famous miners in our area. It also happened that truly learned people, academicians, called them professors and were seriously amazed at how they knew the mountains so subtly, even though they were illiterate.

The matter, of course, is not simple - not picking a berry from a bush. It’s not for nothing that one of these was nicknamed the Heavy Knapsack. He carried a lot of stones on his back. And how much was similar, how much rock was reshaped and turned over - it’s impossible to count.

Our Field, they say, was installed by the treasury (with state funds. - Ed.) There were no factories in these places at that time. They fought. Well, the treasury is known. The soldiers were sent. The village of Mountain Shield was built on purpose so that the road would be safe. On Gumeshki, you see, at that time visible wealth lay on top - and they approached it. We got there, of course. They brought in people, they installed a plant, they brought in some Germans, but things didn’t work out. It didn't work and it didn't work. Either the Germans didn’t want to show it, or they didn’t know themselves - I can’t explain, but the Gumeshki turned out to be unattended to them. They took it from another mine, but it wasn’t worth the work at all. A completely useless little mine, skinny. You can’t build a good factory like this. That’s when our Polevaya ended up in Turchaninov’s hands.

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Ural tales of Bazhov

Tales of Bazhov absorbed plot motifs, unusual images, colors, the language of national legends and folk wisdom. Pavel Petrovich Bazhov managed to give unusual characters (the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the Great Snake, the Jumping Ognevushka) a bewitching poetry. The magical world into which the old ones introduce us Ural tales of Bazhov They immersed ordinary Russian people, and with their real, earthly strength they defeated the conventions of fairy-tale magic. On our website you can see online list of Bazhov's fairy tales, and absolutely enjoy reading them for free.

Mistress of Copper Mountain

Two of our factory workers went to look at the grass. And their mowing was far away. Somewhere behind Severushka.

It was a holiday day, and it was hot - passion. Parun is clean. And both of them were timid in grief, at Gumeshki that is. Malachite ore was mined, as well as blue tit. Well, when a kinglet with a coil came in, there was a thread that would fit.

There was one young guy, unmarried, and his eyes began to look green. The other one is older. This one is completely ruined. There is green in the eyes, and the cheeks seem to have turned green. And the man kept coughing.

It's good in the forest. The birds sing and rejoice, the earth soars, the spirit is light. Listen, they were exhausted. We reached the Krasnogorsk mine. Iron ore was mined there back then. So our guys lay down on the grass under the rowan tree and immediately fell asleep. Only suddenly the young man—someone pushed him in the side—woke up. He looks, and in front of him, on a pile of ore near a large stone, a woman is sitting. Her back is to the guy, and you can see from her braid that she’s a girl. The braid is gray-black and doesn’t dangle like our girls’, but sticks straight to the back. At the end of the tape are either red or green. They shine through and ring subtly, like sheet copper. The guy marvels at the scythe, and then he notices further. The girl is small in stature, good-looking and such a cool wheel - she won’t sit still. He will lean forward, look exactly under his feet, then lean back again, bend to one side, to the other. He jumps to his feet, waves his arms, then bends down again. In a word, artut girl. You can hear him babbling something, but in what way he speaks it is unknown, and with whom he speaks is not visible. Just a laugh. Apparently she's having fun.

The guy was about to say a word, when suddenly he was hit on the back of the head.

- My mother, but this is the Mistress herself! Her clothes are something. How did I not notice it right away? She averted her eyes with her oblique.

And the clothes are truly such that you won’t find anything else in the world. Made of silk, hear me, malachite dress. There is such a variety. It’s a stone, but it’s like silk to the eye, even if you stroke it with your hand. “Here,” the guy thinks, “trouble! As soon as I could get away with it before I noticed.” From the old people, you see, he heard that this Mistress - a malachite girl - loves to play tricks on people. Just when she thought something like that, she looked back. He looks at the guy cheerfully, bares his teeth and says jokingly:

“What, Stepan Petrovich, are you staring at the girl’s beauty for nothing?” After all, they take money for a look. Come closer. Let's talk a little. The guy was scared, of course, but he didn’t show it. Attached. Even though she is a secret force, she is still a girl. Well, he’s a guy, which means he’s ashamed to be shy in front of a girl.

“I have no time,” he says, “to talk.” Without that we slept and went to look at the grass.

She chuckles and then says:

- I'll play a tune for you. Go, I say, there’s something to do.

Well, the guy sees that there is nothing to do. I went to her, and she loomed with her hand, go around the ore on the other side. He walked around and saw that there were countless lizards here. And everyone, listen, is different. Some, for example, are green, others are blue, which fade into blue, or like clay or sand with gold specks. Some, like glass or mica, shine, while others, like faded grass, and some are again decorated with patterns. The girl laughs.

“Don’t part,” he says, “my army, Stepan Petrovich.” You are so big and heavy, but they are small for me. “And she clapped her hands together, and the lizards ran away and gave way.”

So the guy came closer, stopped, and she clapped her hands again and said, all laughing:

“Now you have nowhere to step.” If you crush my servant, there will be trouble. He looked at his feet, and there wasn’t much ground there. All the lizards huddled together in one place, and the floor became patterned under our feet. Stepan looks - fathers, this is copper ore! All sorts and well polished. And there is mica, and blende, and all sorts of glitter that resemble malachite.

- Well, now you recognize me, Stepanushka? - asks the malachite girl, and she bursts into laughter. Then, a little later, he says:

- Don't be scared. I won't do anything bad to you.

The guy felt miserable that the girl was mocking him and even saying such words. He became very angry and even shouted:

- Who should I be afraid of, if I am timid in grief!

“Okay,” answers the malachite girl. “That’s exactly what I need, someone who’s not afraid of anyone.” Tomorrow, as you descend the mountain, your factory clerk will be here, you tell him yes, look, don’t forget the words: “The owner of Copper Mountain ordered you, a stuffy goat, to get out of the Krasnogorsk mine. If you still break this iron cap of mine, I’ll dump all the copper in Gumeshki there for you, so there’s no way to get it.”

She said this and squinted:

– Do you understand, Stepanushko? In grief, you say, you are timid, you are not afraid of anyone? So tell the clerk as I told you, and now go and don’t say anything to the one who is with you. He is a frightened man, why bother him and involve him in this matter. And so she told the blue tit to help him a little.

And she clapped her hands again, and all the lizards ran away. She also jumped to her feet, grabbed a stone with her hand, jumped up and, like a lizard, also ran along the stone. Instead of arms and legs, its paws were green, its tail stuck out, there was a black stripe halfway down its spine, and its head was human. She ran to the top, looked back and said:

– Don’t forget, Stepanushko, as I said. She allegedly told you, the stuffy goat, to get out of Krasnogorka. If you do it my way, I’ll marry you!

The guy even spat in the heat of the moment:

- Ugh, what trash! So that I marry a lizard.

And she sees him spitting and laughs.

“Okay,” he shouts, “we’ll talk later.” Maybe you'll think about it?

And immediately over the hill, only a green tail flashed.

The guy was left alone. The mine is quiet. You can only hear someone else snoring behind a pile of ore. Woke him up. They went to their mowing, looked at the grass, returned home in the evening, and Stepan had one thing on his mind: what should he do? To say such words to the clerk is no small matter, but he was also, and it’s true, stuffy—there was some kind of rot in his gut, they say. Not to say, it’s also scary. She is the Mistress. What kind of ore can he throw into the blende? Then do your homework. And worse than that, it’s a shame to show yourself off as a braggart in front of a girl.

I thought and thought and laughed:

“I wasn’t, I’ll do as she ordered.”

The next morning, as people gathered around the trigger drum, the factory clerk came up. Everyone, of course, took off their hats, remained silent, and Stepan came up and said:

“I saw the Mistress of the Copper Mountain last night, and she ordered me to tell you. She tells you, the stuffy goat, to get out of Krasnogorka. If you spoil this iron cap for her, she will dump all the copper on Gumeshki there, so that no one can get it.

The clerk even began to shake his mustache.

-What are you doing? Drunk or crazy? What kind of mistress? Who are you saying these words to? Yes, I will rot you in grief!

“Your will,” says Stepan, “but this is the only way I was told.”

“Whip him,” the clerk shouts, “and take him down the mountain and chain him in the face!” And so as not to die, give him dog oatmeal and ask for lessons without any concessions. Just a little - tear mercilessly!

Well, of course, they flogged the guy and went up the hill. The mine overseer, also not the last dog, took him to the slaughter - it couldn’t be worse. It’s wet here, and there’s no good ore, I should have given up long ago. Here they chained Stepan to a long chain, so that he could work. It is known what time it was - the fortress. They did all sorts of shit on the person. The warden also says:

- Cool off here for a bit. And the lesson will cost you so much pure malachite - and he assigned it completely inappropriately.

Nothing to do. As soon as the warden left, Stepan began waving his stick, but the guy was still agile. He looks - okay. This is how malachite falls, no matter who throws it with their hands. And the water left somewhere from the face. It became dry.

“That’s good,” he thinks. Apparently the Mistress remembered me.”

I was just thinking, and suddenly there was a light. He looks, and the Mistress is here, in front of him.

“Well done,” says Stepan Petrovich. You can attribute it to honor. Not afraid of the stuffy goat. Well told him. Let's go, apparently, to look at my dowry. I also don’t go back on my word.

And she frowned, it just didn’t feel good for her. She clapped her hands, the lizards came running, the chain was removed from Stepan, and the Mistress gave them the order:

– Break the lesson here in half. And so that the selection of malachite is of the silk variety. “Then he says to Stepan: “Well, groom, let’s go look at my dowry.”

And so let's go. She is in front, Stepan is behind her. Where she goes, everything is open to her. How large the rooms became underground, but their walls were different. Either all green, or yellow with gold specks. Which again have copper flowers. There are also blue ones and azure ones. In a word, it is decorated, which cannot be said. And the dress on her – on the Mistress – changes. One minute it shines like glass, then suddenly it fades, or else it sparkles like a diamond scree, or turns reddish like copper, then again it shimmers like green silk. They're going, they're coming, she stopped.

And Stepan sees a huge room, and in it there are beds, tables, stools - all made of king copper. The walls are malachite with diamond, and the ceiling is dark red under blackening, and on it there are copper flowers.

“Let’s sit,” he says, “here, and talk.” They sat down on stools, and the malachite girl asked:

-Have you seen my dowry?

“I saw it,” says Stepan.

- Well, how about marriage now?

But Stepan doesn’t know how to answer. Listen, he had a fiancée. A good girl, an orphan alone. Well, of course, compared to malachite, how can she compare in beauty? A simple person, an ordinary person. Stepan hesitated and hesitated, and then said:

“Your dowry is fit for a king, but I am a working man, a simple one.”

“You,” he says, “are a dear friend, don’t wobble.” Tell me straight, are you marrying me or not? – And she herself completely frowned.

Well, Stepan answered directly:

- I can’t, because another one was promised.

He said so and thinks: he’s on fire now. And she seemed happy.

“Well done,” he says, “to Stepanushka.” I praised you for being a clerk, and for this I will praise you twice as much. You didn’t get enough of my wealth, you didn’t exchange your Nastenka for a stone girl. – And the guy’s fiancee’s name was probably Nastya. “Here,” he says, “is a gift for your bride,” and hands over a large malachite box. And there, listen, every woman’s device. Earrings, rings and other things that not even every rich bride has.

“How,” asks the guy, “will I get up to the top with this place?”

- Don't be sad about it. Everything will be arranged, and I will free you from the clerk, and you will live comfortably with your young wife, but here’s my story for you - don’t think about me later. This will be my third test for you. Now let's eat a little.

She clapped her hands again, the lizards came running - the table was set full. She fed him good cabbage soup, fish pie, lamb, porridge and other things that are required according to the Russian rite. Then he says:

- Well, goodbye, Stepan Petrovich, don’t think about me. - And there are tears right there. She put her hand up, and the tears drip-drop and freeze on her hand like grains. Just a handful. - Here you go, take it for a living. People give a lot of money for these stones. You will be rich,” and he gives it to him.

The stones are cold, but the hand, listen, is hot, as if it were alive, and shakes a little. Stepan accepted the stones, bowed low and asked:

-Where should I go? - And he himself also became gloomy.

She pointed with her finger, and a passage opened in front of him, like an adit, and it was light in it, like during the day. Stepan walked along this adit - again he saw enough of all the land riches and came just to his slaughter. He arrived, the adit closed, and everything became as before. The lizard came running, put a chain on his leg, and the box with gifts suddenly became small, Stepan hid it in his bosom. Soon the mine overseer approached. He was ready to laugh, but he sees that Stepan has a lot of tricks on top of the lesson, and a selection of malachite, sort and variety. “What,” he thinks, “is this thing? Where does it come from?" He climbed into the face, looked at everything and said:

- In this face, anyone will break as much as they like. - And he took Stepan to another pit, and put his nephew in this one.

The next day, Stepan began to work, and the malachite just flew off, and even a bead with a coil began to fall, and his nephew, pray tell, there is nothing good, everything is just a sham and a snag. It was then that the warden took notice of the matter. He ran to the clerk. Anyway.

“No other way,” he says, “Stepan sold his soul to evil spirits.”

The clerk says to this:

“It’s his business to whom he sold his soul, but we need to get our own benefit.” Promise him that we will release him into the wild, just let him find a malachite block worth a hundred pounds.

The clerk still ordered Stepan to be unchained and gave the following order: to stop work on Krasnogorka.

“Who,” he says, “knows him?” Maybe this fool was talking out of his mind then. And the ore and copper went there, but the cast iron was damaged.

The warden announced to Stepan what was required of him, and he replied:

- Who would refuse freedom? I’ll try, but if I find it, that’s my happiness.

Stepan soon found them such a block. They dragged her upstairs. They’re proud, that’s what we are, but they didn’t give Stepan any freedom. They wrote to the master about the block, and he came from, hey, Sam-Petersburg. He found out how it happened and calls Stepan over.

“That’s what,” he says, “I give you my noble word to set you free if you find me such malachite stones that, that means, I can cut out pillars from them no less than five fathoms across the valley.”

Stepan answers:

“I’ve already been spun around.” I am not a scientist. First, write freely, then I will try, and we’ll see what comes out.

The master, of course, screamed and stamped his feet, but Stepan said one thing:

- I almost forgot - register my bride’s freedom too, but what kind of order is this - I myself will be free, and my wife will be in the fortress.

The master sees that the guy is not soft. I wrote him a document.

“Here,” he says, “just try, look.”

And Stepan is all his.

- It’s like looking for happiness.

Of course, Stepan found it. What does he need if he knew the whole inside of the mountain and the Mistress herself helped him. They cut out the pillars they needed from this malachitana, dragged them up, and the master sent them to the butt of the most important church in Sam-Petersburg. And the block that Stepan first found is still in our city, they say. How rare it is to take care of it.

From that time on, Stepan was released, and after that all the wealth in Gumeshki disappeared. There are a lot of blue tits coming, but more of them are snags. It became unheard of to hear about the bead with a coil, and the malachite left, and water began to be added. So from that time on, Gumeshki began to decline, and then they were completely flooded. They said that it was the Mistress who was burning for the pillars, hear that they were placed in the church. And she doesn’t need it at all.

Stepan also had no happiness in his life. He got married, started a family, furnished the house, everything was as it should be. He should have lived smoothly and been happy, but he became gloomy and deteriorated in health. So it melted before our eyes.

The sick man came up with the idea of ​​getting a shotgun and got into the habit of hunting. And yet, hey, he goes to the Krasnogorsk mine, but doesn’t bring the spoils home. In the autumn he left and that was the end. Now he’s gone, now he’s gone... Where did he go? They shot it down, of course, people, let's look for it. And hey, hey, he’s lying dead in the mine next to a high stone, he’s smiling evenly, and his little gun is lying to the side, unfired. The people who were the first to come running said that they saw a green lizard near the dead man, and such a big one, the likes of which had never been seen in our area. It’s as if she’s sitting over a dead man, with her head raised, and her tears just falling. As people ran closer, she was on the stone, and that was all they saw. And when they brought the dead man home and began to wash him, they looked: he had one hand tightly clasped, and green grains were barely visible from it. Just a handful. Then one person who knew happened, looked at the grains from the side and said:

- But it’s a copper emerald! Rare - a stone, dear. There is a whole wealth left for you, Nastasya. Where did he get these stones from?

Nastasya, his wife, explains that the dead man never spoke about any such stones. I gave her the box when I was still a fiance. A large box, malachite. There is a lot of goodness in her, but there are no such stones. I haven't seen it.

They began to take those stones out of Stepan’s dead hand, and they crumbled into dust. They never found out at that time where Stepan got them from. Then we dug around Krasnogorka. Well, ore and ore, brown, with a copper sheen. Then someone found out that it was Stepan who had the tears of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. He didn’t sell them to anyone, hey, he kept them secretly from his own people, and he died with them. A?

This means what a Mistress of the Copper Mountain she is!

For the bad to meet her, it is grief, and for the good, there is little joy.

Malachite Box

Nastasya, Stepanova’s widow, still has a malachite box. With every feminine device. There are rings, earrings and other things according to women's rites. The Mistress of the Copper Mountain herself gave Stepan this box when he was still planning to get married.

Nastasya grew up as an orphan, she was not used to this kind of wealth, and she was quite a fan of fashion. From the first years I lived with Stepan, I wore it, of course, from this box. It just didn't suit her. He’ll put the ring on... It fits exactly, doesn’t pinch, doesn’t slip, but goes to church or goes on a visit somewhere. Like a chained finger, in the end it will turn blue. He will hang his earrings - worse than that. It will tighten your ears so much that your lobes will swell. And to take it on your hand is no heavier than those that Nastasya always carried. Busks in six or seven rows only tried them on once. It’s like ice around your neck and they don’t warm up at all. She didn’t show those beads to people at all. It was a shame.

- Look, they’ll say what a queen they’ve found in Polevoy!

Stepan also did not force his wife to carry from this box. Once he even said:

Nastasya put the box in the very bottom chest, where canvases and other things are kept in reserve.

When Stepan died and the stones ended up in his dead hand, Nastasya had to show that box to strangers. And the one who knows, who didn’t know about Stepanov’s stones, says to Nastasya later, when the people have subsided:

- Look, don’t waste this box for nothing. It costs more than thousands.

He, this man, was a scientist, also a free man. Previously, he wore smart clothes, but he was removed: he supposedly weakened the people. Well, he didn’t disdain wine. He was also a good tavern plug, so be remembered, the little head is dead. And he is correct in everything. Write a request, wash off a sample, look at the signs - he did everything according to his conscience, not like others, just to rip off half a pint. Anyone and everyone will bring a glass to him as a festive occasion. So he lived at our factory until his death. He ate around the people.

Nastasya heard from her husband that this dandy is correct and smart in business, even though he has a passion for wine. Well, I listened to him.

“Okay,” he says, “I’ll save it for a rainy day.” - And she put the box in its old place.

Stepan was buried, the Sorochins were sent away with honor. Nastasya is a woman in wealth and wealth, and they began to woo her. And she, a smart woman, tells everyone one thing:

“Even though we’re second in gold, we’re still stepfathers to all the timid kids.”

Well, we are behind in time.

Stepan left good provision for his family. A clean house, a horse, a cow, complete furnishings. Nastasya is a hard-working woman, the kids are timid, they don’t live very well. They live for a year, they live for two, they live for three. Well, they have become poor after all. How can one woman with young children manage a household? You also have to get a penny somewhere. At least some salt. Relatives are here and let Nastasya sing in her ears:

- Sell the box! What do you need it for? What good is it to lie in vain? Everything is one and Tanya won’t wear it when she grows up. There are some things over there! Only bars and merchants can buy. With our belt you won’t be able to wear an eco-friendly seat. And people would give money. Distributions for you.

In a word, they are slandering. And the buyer swooped in like a raven on a bone. All of them are merchants. Some give a hundred rubles, some give two hundred.

“We feel sorry for your robbers, and, due to your widowhood, we make allowances for you.”

Well, they're trying to fool a woman, but they hit the wrong one. Nastasya remembered well what the old dandy told her, he wouldn’t sell it for such a trifle. It's also a pity. After all, it was a groom’s gift, a husband’s memory. And what’s more, her youngest girl burst into tears and asked:

- Mommy, don’t sell it! Mommy, don't sell it! It’s better for me to go among the people and save my dad’s memo.

From Stepan, you see, there are only three little kids left. Two little girls. They are timid, but this one, as they say, is neither like mother nor father. Even when Stepan was a little girl, people marveled at this little girl. Not just the girls and women, but also the men said to Stepan:

- This one must have fallen out of your hands, Stepan.

Who has just been born! She herself is black and fable, and her eyes are green. It’s like she doesn’t look like our girls at all.

Stepan used to joke:

- It’s no surprise that she’s black. My father hid in the ground from an early age. And that the eyes are green is also not surprising. You never know, I stuffed master Turchaninov with malachite. This is the reminder I still have.

So I called this girl Memo. - Come on, my reminder! “And when she happened to have something to buy, she would always bring something blue or green.”

So that little girl grew up in people’s minds. Exactly and in fact, the horsetail fell out of the festive belt - it can be seen far away. And although she was not very fond of strangers, everyone was Tanyushka and Tanyushka. The most envious grandmothers, and they admired. Well, what a beauty! Everyone's nice. One mother sighed: “Beauty is beauty, but not ours.” Exactly who replaced the girl for me.

According to Stepan, this girl was killing herself. She was all clean, her face lost weight, only her eyes remained. Mother came up with the idea to give Tanya that malachite box - let him have some fun. Even if she’s small, she’s still a girl—from a young age, it’s flattering for them to make fun of themselves. Tanya started taking these things apart. And it’s a miracle - the one he tries on, he fits it too. Mother didn’t even know why, but this one knows everything. And he also says:

- Mommy, what a good gift my dad gave! The warmth from it is as if you are sitting on a warm bed, and someone is stroking you softly.

Nastasya sewed the patches herself; she remembers how her fingers would become numb, her ears would hurt, and her neck could not get warm. So he thinks: “This is not without reason. Oh, for good reason!” - Hurry up and put the box back in the chest. Only Tanya has since then asked:

- Mommy, let me play with my dad’s gift!

When Nastasya gets strict, well, like a mother’s heart, she will take pity, take out the box, and only punish:

– Don’t break anything!

Then, when Tanya grew up, she began to take out the box herself. The mother and the older boys will go to mowing or somewhere else, Tanya will stay behind to do housework. First, of course, he will manage that the mother punished him. Well, wash the cups and spoons, shake off the tablecloth, wave a broom in the hut, give food to the chickens, take a look at the stove. He’ll get everything done as quickly as possible, and for the sake of the box. By that time, only one of the upper chests remained, and even that one had become light. Tanya slides it onto a stool, takes out the box and sorts through the stones, admires it, and tries it on for herself.

Once upon a time a hitnik climbed up to her. Either he buried himself in the fence early in the morning, or then slipped through unnoticed, but none of the neighbors saw him pass along the street. The man is unknown, but apparently someone brought him up to date and explained the whole procedure.

After Nastasya left, Tanyushka ran around doing a lot of housework and climbed into the hut to play with her father’s pebbles. She put on the headband and hung the earrings. At this time, this hitnik puffed into the hut. Tanya looked around - there was an unfamiliar man on the threshold, with an axe. And the ax is theirs. In the senki, in the corner he stood. Just now Tanya was rearranging him, as if in chalk. Tanya was frightened, she sat frozen, and the man jumped, dropped the ax and grabbed his eyes with both hands, as they burned. Moans and screams:

- Oh, fathers, I’m blind! Oh, blind! - and he rubs his eyes.

Tanya sees that something is wrong with the man and begins to ask:

- How did you come to us, uncle, why did you take the ax? And he, you know, groans and rubs his eyes. Tanya took pity on him - she scooped up a ladle of water and wanted to serve it, but the man just shied away with his back to the door.

- Oh, don't come closer! “So I sat in the senki and blocked the doors so that Tanya wouldn’t inadvertently jump out.” Yes, she found a way - she ran out through the window and to her neighbors. Well, here we come. They began to ask what kind of person, in what case? He blinked a little and explained that the person passing by wanted to ask for a favor, but something happened to his eyes.

- Like the sun hit. I thought I would go completely blind. From the heat, perhaps.

Tanya didn’t tell her neighbors about the ax and the stones. They think: “It’s no big deal. Maybe she herself forgot to lock the gate, so a passer-by came in, and then something happened to him. You never know." Still, they didn’t let the passerby go until Nastasya. When she and her sons arrived, this man told her what he had told his neighbors. Nastasya sees that everything is safe, she didn’t get involved.

That man left, and so did the neighbors.

Then Tanya told her mother how it happened. Then Nastasya realized that he had come for the box, but apparently it was not easy to take it. And she herself thinks: “We still need to protect her more tightly.”

She took it quietly from Tanya and the others and buried that box in the golbets.

All the family left again. Tanya missed the box, but there was one. It seemed bitter to Tanya, but then suddenly she felt a warmth. What is this thing? Where? I looked around, and there was light coming from under the floor. Tanya was scared - was it a fire? I looked into the golbets, there was light in one corner. She grabbed a bucket and wanted to splash it, but there was no fire and there was no smell of smoke. She dug around in that place and saw a box. I opened it, and the stones became even more beautiful. So they burn with different lights, and the light from them is like in the sun. Tanya didn’t even drag the box into the hut. Here in the golbtse I played my fill.

This is how it has been since then. The mother thinks: “Well, she hid it well, no one knows,” and the daughter, like housekeeping, snatches an hour to play with her father’s expensive gift. Nastasya didn’t even let her family know about the sale. – If it fits around the world, then I’ll sell it. Even though it was tough for her, she strengthened herself. So they struggled for a few more years, then things got better. The older boys began to earn little, and Tanya did not sit idle. Listen, she learned how to sew with silks and beads. And so I learned that the best master craftswomen clapped their hands - where does she get the patterns, where does she get the silk?

And it also happened by chance. A woman comes to them. She was short, dark-haired, at her age, and keen-eyed, and, apparently, she was sneaking around so hard that you just had to hold on. On the back there is a canvas bag, in the hand there is a bird cherry bag, it looks like a wanderer. Asks Nastasya:

“Can’t you, mistress, have a day or two to rest?” They don’t carry their legs, and they can’t walk very close.

At first Nastasya wondered if she had been sent for the box again, but then she finally let her go.

- There is no space for space. If you don’t lie there, go and take it with you. Only our piece is an orphan. In the morning - onion with kvass, in the evening kvass with onions, everything and change. You are not afraid of becoming thin, so you are welcome to live as long as you need to.

And the wanderer has already put her bag down, put her knapsack on the stove and takes off her shoes. Nastasya didn’t like this, but kept silent. “Look, you ignorant one! We didn’t have time to greet her, but she finally took off her shoes and untied her knapsack.”

The woman, sure enough, unbuttoned her purse and beckoned Tanya to her with her finger:

“Come on, child, look at my handiwork.” If he takes a look, I’ll teach you... Apparently, you’ll have a keen eye for this!

Tanya came up, and the woman handed her a small fly, the ends sewn with silk. And such and such, hey, a hot pattern on that fly that just became lighter and warmer in the hut.

Tanya's eyes glared, and the woman chuckled.

“Have you noticed, my daughter, my handicraft?” Do you want me to learn it?

“I want to,” he says.

Nastasya got so angry:

- And forget to think! There’s nothing to buy salt with, but you came up with the idea of ​​sewing with silks! Supplies, go figure, cost money.

“Don’t worry about that, mistress,” says the wanderer. “If my daughter has an idea, she will have supplies.” I’ll leave her the bread and salt for yours—it’ll last for a long time. And then you will see for yourself. They pay money for our skill. We don’t give away our work for nothing. We have a piece.

Here Nastasya had to give in.

“If you spare enough supplies, you won’t learn anything.” Let him learn as long as the concept is enough. I'll thank you.

This woman started teaching Tanya. Tanya quickly took over everything, as if she knew it before. Yes, here's another thing. Tanya was not only unkind to strangers, but to her own people, but she just clings to this woman and clings to her. Nastasya looked askance:

“I found myself a new family. She won’t approach her mother, but she’s stuck to a tramp!”

And she still teases her, keeps calling Tanya “child” and “daughter”, but never mentions her baptized name. Tanya sees that her mother is offended, but cannot restrain herself. Before that, hey, I trusted this woman because I told her about the box!

“We have,” he says, “we have my father’s dear memento—a malachite box.” That's where the stones are! I could look at them forever.

– Will you show me, daughter? - asks the woman.

Tanya didn’t even think that something was wrong. “I’ll show you,” he says, “when none of the family is home.”

After such an hour, Tanyushka turned around and called that woman to the cabbage. Tanya took out the box and showed it, and the woman looked at it a little and said:

– Put it on yourself – you’ll see better. Well, Tanya, - not the right word - began to put it on, and you know, she praises it.

- Okay, daughter, okay! It just needs to be corrected a little.

She came closer and started poking the stones with her finger. The one that touches will light up differently. Tanya can see other things, but not others. After this the woman says:

- Stand up, daughter, straight up.

Tanya stood up, and the woman began to slowly stroke her hair and her back. She ironed everything, and she herself instructs:

“I’ll make you turn around, so don’t look back at me.” Look ahead, take note of what will happen, and don’t say anything. Well, turn around!

Tanya turned around - in front of her was a room the likes of which she had never seen. It's not the church, it's not like that. The ceilings are high on pillars made of pure malachite. The walls are also lined with malachite the height of a man, and a malachite pattern runs along the upper cornice. Standing right in front of Tanya, as if in the mirror, is a beauty the likes of which they only talk about in fairy tales. Hair like night and eyes green. And she is all decorated with expensive stones, and her dress is made of green velvet with iridescence. And so this dress is made, just like the queens in the pictures. What does it hold on to? Out of shame, our factory workers would burn to death to wear something like that in public, but this green-eyed girl stands calmly, as if that’s the way it should be. There are a lot of people in that room. They are dressed like a lord, and everyone is wearing gold and merit. Some have it hung on the front, some have it sewn on the back, and some have it on all sides. Apparently, the highest authorities. And their women are right there. Also bare-armed, bare-breasted, hung with stones. But where do they care about the green-eyed one! None hold a candle.

The tale was first published along with two others: “About the Great Snake” and “Dear Name” - in the collection “Pre-revolutionary folklore in the Urals”, Sverdlovsk Regional Publishing House, 1936. This tale is closest to the Ural miner’s folklore. Geographically, they are connected with the ancient Sysertsky mining district, “which included five factories,” pointed out P. Bazhov: Sysertsky or Sysert - the main plant of the district, Polevskoy (aka Polevaya or Poleva) - the oldest plant in the district, Seversky (Severna ), Verkhniy (Verkh-Sysertsky), Ilyinsky (Nizhve-Sysertsky). Near the Polevsky plant there was also the most famous copper deposit of the fortress era of the Urals - the Gumeshki mine, otherwise known as Copper Mountain, or simply Gora. Most of the tales of the Polevsky region are connected with these Gumeshki, which for a century were a terrible underground hard labor for more than one generation of workers” (P. Bazhov, Preface to the tales published in the magazine “October”, No. 5–6, 1939, p. 158 ). P. Bazhov heard stories about the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, about the Great Snake, about the mysterious Gumeshki mine both in his own family and among the factory elders. These were experienced workers who had dedicated their entire lives to the mining industry. In old age, when they had already become worn out, they were transferred from the mines and copper smelting furnaces to easier work (as watchmen, foresters, etc.). They were the tellers of legends about old factories, about the life of miners. The image of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain or Malachite in mining folklore has various variants: Mountain womb, Stone girl, Golden woman, girl Azovka, Mountain spirit, Mountain elder, Mountain master - (see P. L. Ermakov, Memoirs of a miner, Sverdlgiz, 1947; L. Potapov. Cult of the mountains in Altai, magazine “Soviet Ethnography”, No. 2, 1946: “Songs and tales of miners”, folklore of miners of the Shakhty region, Rostov regional book publishing house, 1940; N. Dyrenkova, Shor folklore, M-L 1940 A. Misyurev, Legends and were, folklore of old miners of Southern and Western Siberia; - Novosibirsk, 1940) - All these folk characters are the guardians of the riches of the mountain subsoil. P. Bazhov’s image of Malachite is much more complex. The writer embodied in it the beauty of nature, inspiring a person to creative pursuits. The image of the Malachite Girl from the tales of P. Bazhov is widely included in Soviet art. It is recreated on stage, in painting and sculpture. “Images of Bazhov’s tales - in the wall paintings of the Palace of Pioneers in Sverdlovsk, the House of Pioneers in Serov, in works of handicraft art, in toys for children” (Vl. Biryukov, Singer of the Urals, newspaper “Red Kurgan”, February 1, 1951). Bazhov's tales were recreated by Paleshan artists. “In the large white-stone Palace of Pioneers in Sverdlovsk there are whole labyrinths of rooms, and there are a lot of interesting things in them. But the guys enter one of the rooms with a joyful feeling of expectation of something special, a little mysterious and beautiful. This is the room of Bazhov's tales. On the high, spacious wall, the girl, Zalotoy Volos, was spreading her long braids. Nearby is a green-eyed beauty in a heavy malachite dress of the Copper Mountain Mistress. A mischievous red-haired girl, Ognevushka-Jumping, is dancing on the wall. This is how the master from Palekh painted the room” (“Pionerskaya Pravda” March 10, 1950) The tale of “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain” marked the beginning of a whole group of works united by the image of Malachite. This group, in addition to the indicated tale, includes nine more works, including; “The Clerk's Soles” (1936), “Sochnevy Pebbles” (1937), “Malachite Box” (1938), “Stone Flower” (1938), “Mining Master” (1939), “Two Lizards” (1939), “Fragile twig" (1940), "Grass trap" (1940), "Tayutka's mirror" (1941).

Representing a collection of ancient legends that circulated among miners.

P. P. Bazhov

The writer was born in the Urals - in the city of Sysert. His father was a mining foreman. The future writer, journalist, publicist and folklorist graduated from a factory school in Sysert. From 10 to 14 years old, the boy studied at a theological school in Yekaterinburg. Then he graduated from seminary in Perm. After receiving his education, he taught Russian. During his summer vacation, he traveled around the Urals and collected folklore.

P. P. Bazhov began writing “Ural Tales” in the 1930s. At first they were published in the magazine. Then a collection of Ural tales was published, which was called “The Malachite Box”. It was published in 1939. The author has updated the book many times.

In 1943, Pavel Petrovich received the Stalin Prize for his work.

"Ural Tales"

Bazhov P. collected “Ural Tales,” as mentioned above, throughout the Urals. He heard many of them from miners as a child. After some time, Pavel Petrovich made an official statement that he composed “Ural Tales” himself. The works are combined into groups that are connected by common characters. P. Bazhov thought through such a move in order to give his book more integrity. Many tales are interconnected by the place of action.

The most important wonderful character of P. Bazhov's fairy tales is the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. She guards the treasure. The hostess is unusually beautiful and has magical powers. Only talented stone craftsmen were allowed to descend into her domain. She could help, but she could also destroy.

List of tales included in the collection

The book “Ural Tales” by P. P. Bazhov includes the following works:

• "Mining Master".
• "Vasin's Mountain"
• "Cast Iron Grandmother"
• "Snake trail"
• “A gift from the old mountains.”
• "Diamond Match"
• "The Amethyst Case."
• "Two lizards."
• "Golden Hair"
• "Sunstone"
• "Copper Share"
• "Silk Hill".
• "Blue Snake"
• "Mistress of the Copper Mountain."
• "About the Great Snake."
• "Tyutka's mirror."
• "Far Peeper"
• "Crystal varnish".
• "Inscription on the Stone."
• "Markov stone".
• "Goldflower of the Mountain."
• "The mysterious Tulunkin."
• "At the old mine."
• "Rudy Pass".

And many others.

"Mistress of the Copper Mountain"

This is one of the most significant, well-known and beloved works of the book “Ural Tales” by readers. We offer a brief summary of the contents of this work below.

A young worker named Stepan once saw a girl in the forest - beautiful, with a long braid and wearing clothes made of malachite. He realized that this was the Mistress of the Copper Mountain herself. The girl told him that she had business with him. We need to go to the factory clerk and tell him to get out of the Krasnogorsk mine. The Mistress promised Stepan that she would marry him if he fulfilled her order. Then she turned into a lizard and ran away. The next morning Stepan went to the clerk and handed over everything that was ordered. For this they flogged him, took him down the mountain, and chained him up. At the same time, they ordered to extract a lot of malachite. The Mistress helped Stepan because he was not afraid to fulfill her order. He mined a lot of malachite. The Mistress showed him her dowry. And then she began to ask if he agreed to take her as his wife. Stepan thought and said that he already had a fiancée. The Mistress praised him for not coveting her wealth. She gave Stepan a box of jewelry for his bride. And then she said that he would live richly, but he must forget her. Soon he got married, built a house, and had children. But he was not happy. Stepan began going into the forest to hunt and every time he looked at the Krasnogorsk mine. Stepan could not forget the Mistress. One day he went into the forest and did not return - he was found dead.

"Malachite Box"

Another very famous work of the cycle “Ural Tales”. A brief summary of the “Malachite Box” is presented in this article. This tale is a continuation of the story about the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Stepan died, but the malachite box remained with his widow Nastasya. Jewelry was kept in it, given by the Mistress. Only Nastasya didn’t wear them and wanted to sell them. There were many people who wanted to buy the box. But everyone offered a small price. There was another reason why she kept the box with her. The youngest daughter, Tatyana, loved these decorations very much. Tanyusha grew up and, thanks to a stranger who asked to stay at their house for the night, she learned to embroider with silk and beads. And she was such a craftswoman that she began to earn a lot of money. Soon the master saw the girl and was so struck by her beauty that he invited her to become his wife. She agreed, but set the condition that she would marry him if he showed her the queen in a room made of malachite made by her father. The master promised to fulfill her wish. Finding herself in the queen’s malachite chamber, the girl leaned against the wall and melted. Since then, no one has heard anything about her, they only began to notice that the Mistress of the Copper Mountain began to double.

"Stone Flower"

This work is the last of the series about the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, which was created by Pavel Bazhov. “Ural Tales”, as you know, includes several stories about this amazing beauty. “The Stone Flower” is a story about the orphan Danilka, who at the age of 12 became an apprentice to a malachite master. The boy was talented and the teacher liked him. When Danila grew up, he became an excellent craftsman. He had a dream. He wanted to create a malachite bowl that looked like a flower. I even found a suitable stone. But he just couldn’t cut out a beautiful flower. One day he met the Mistress of the Copper Mountain herself. He asked her to show him her stone flower. The Mistress tried to dissuade him from this, but he insisted. He saw the flower of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain and from then on he completely lost peace. Then he broke his unfinished bowl and left. He was never seen again, but there were rumors that he was serving with the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.

"Silver Hoof"

P. P. Bazhov wrote “Ural Tales” for children, but they are also interesting for adults. One of the stories that appeals to readers of all ages is “The Silver Hoof.” Lonely old man Kokovanya sheltered an orphan. Grandfather worked every day, and his granddaughter put things in order in the hut and cooked. In the evenings, Kokovanya told the girl fairy tales. And one day he told her about a magic goat with a silver hoof, which he knocks on, and precious stones appear in that place. Once a girl was waiting for her grandfather from hunting and saw through the window that her cat was playing with the same goat from the fairy tale. She ran out to look at him. And the goat jumped onto the roof, began to beat with his hoof, and precious stones fell from under his feet. Grandfather and granddaughter collected them and lived comfortably for the rest of their lives.

"Sinyushkin Well"

The book “Ural Tales” includes the story of the good fellow Ilya. He was left an orphan early. The only inheritance he received was a sieve full of feathers from Lukerya’s grandmother, who instructed her grandson not to pursue riches. One day Ilya decided to take a short route to the mine. And this path lay through the swamp. Ilya felt thirsty. He looks, and in the swamp there is an area with clean water, like a well. He decided to drink this water, lay down on the ground, and from the water Sinyushka stretched out her hands to him. He managed to overcome her charms, he stood up and spat on her hand. And she began to tease him that he would not be able to drink water from her well. Ilya promised Sinyushka that he would return and left.

The fellow kept his promise. Ilya returned, tied the ladle to a perch and used it to scoop up water from the well. Sinyushka was amazed at his ingenuity and promised to show her wealth. Ilya came to the well again. And girls come up to him with trays full of jewelry. He remembered that his grandmother had punished him and began to refuse everything. An eighteen-year-old beauty approached him with a sieve containing berries and feathers. Ilya realized that this was Sinyushka. He took the sieve from her hands. When I came home, the berries turned into gems. Ilya began to live richly, but he could not forget Sinyushka. One day he met a girl very similar to her, and he married her.

This tale is about the fact that the main riches in life are not gold and gems. Sinyushkin's well is a test that only those who do not envy, are not greedy and remember advice can pass.

"Jumping Firefly"

The book that Bazhov P. wrote - “Ural Tales” - includes a story about a gold mine. One day the men were sitting by the fire, and with them was the boy Fedyunka. And suddenly they saw a red-haired girl who jumped out of the fire. She danced, and then stopped near a pine tree and stamped her foot. According to legend, this is how she indicated the place where gold should be looked for. Only she deceived this time - there was nothing under the pine tree. Soon Fedyunka saw Jumping again. This time she showed him the right place. The boy found gold and lived comfortably for 5 years. The people heard about it, and everyone rushed to that mine for gold. People were coming there from all directions. But the gold disappeared there because of this.

Pavel was born on January 15 (27), 1879 near Yekaterinburg in a working-class family. In Bazhov’s biography, his childhood years were spent in the small town of Polevsky, Sverdlovsk region. He studied at a factory school, where he was one of the best students in his class. After graduating from theological school in Yekaterinburg, he entered the Perm Theological Seminary. After completing his studies in 1899, he began working as a teacher of the Russian language.

It is worth briefly noting that Pavel Bazhov’s wife was his student Valentina Ivanitskaya. In their marriage they had four children.

The beginning of a creative journey

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov's first writing activity occurred during the Civil War. It was then that he began working as a journalist, and later became interested in the stories of the Urals. However, the biography of Pavel Bazhov is better known as a folklorist.

The first book with Ural essays entitled “The Ural Were” was published in 1924. And the first tale of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov was published in 1936 (“The Azov Girl”). Basically, all the tales retold and recorded by the writer were folklore.

The writer's main work

The publication of Bazhov’s book “The Malachite Box” (1939) largely determined the writer’s fate. This book brought the writer world fame. Bazhov’s talent was most clearly demonstrated in the tales of this book, which he constantly updated. “The Malachite Box” is a collection of folklore stories for children and adults about life and everyday life in the Urals, about the beauty of the nature of the Ural land.

The “Malachite Box” contains many mythological characters, for example: the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the Great Snake, Danila the Master, Grandma Sinyushka, the Jumping Ognevushka and others.

In 1943, thanks to this book, he received the Stalin Prize. And in 1944 he was awarded the Order of Lenin for his fruitful work.

Pavel Bazhov created many works, on the basis of which ballets, operas, plays, films and cartoons were made.

Death and legacy

The writer's life was cut short on December 3, 1950. The writer was buried in Sverdlovsk at the Ivanovo cemetery.

In the writer’s hometown, in the house where he lived, a museum was opened. A folk festival in the Chelyabinsk region, an annual prize awarded in Yekaterinburg, is named after the writer. Commemorative monuments were erected to Pavel Bazhov in Sverdlovsk, Polevsky and other cities. Streets in many cities of the former USSR are also named after the writer.

If you open a large chest of Soviet literature, then the precious stones of a book of beautiful Ural legends immediately catch your eye. The author of these immortal fairy tales, which forever entered the treasury of Russian and Soviet prose - Pavel Petrovich Bazhov.

What is known about this brilliant writer? A truly popular folklorist, publicist, active participant in the revolutionary movement, he went through a difficult path from the son of a simple worker to a Stalin Prize laureate. Bibliographers write that Pavel Petrovich considered himself an absolutely happy person, because he fulfilled his earthly mission and planted the seed of goodness in the soul of every Soviet child who read his fairy tales

Interesting facts from the biography of P.P. Bazhov

The most famous Russian folklorist was born in January 1879. The guy’s parents were from different social classes: his father was a master (golden hands!) at the Sysert factory, and his mother Augusta Stefanovna was a hereditary lacemaker from a noble Polish family.

Interesting fact #1. The original surname of the family is Bazhevy, which is consonant with the word “bazhit”, “bewitch”. From school, Pavel Petrovich had the original nickname Koldunkov, which over time he used as a sonorous pseudonym.

Young Bazhov was educated at a 3-year boys' school, then, thanks to the help of his beloved teacher, he entered the Ekaterinburg Theological School, and at the age of 14 he entered the Perm Theological Seminary.

Interesting fact #2. One day, young Pavel took a volume of Pushkin’s fairy tales from the library. The librarian jokingly ordered the boy to learn all the poems by heart. Bazhov Jr. took the task seriously and in a few days memorized the entire thick book.

Poverty did not allow Pavel Petrovich to continue his education and the young man took up teaching. The future brilliant writer enthusiastically conveyed the beauty of the Russian language to the students of the girls' gymnasium.

Interesting fact #3. In the educational institution where Bazhov worked, there was a rule - to tie beautiful ribbons on the jackets of your favorite teachers. Pavel Petrovich had no room left on the lapels of his coat for badges from grateful students. And one of the most devoted admirers later became the wife of the Soviet writer P.P. Bazhov.

Creativity of the Ural folklorist

The future famous writer in his youth became seriously interested in the revolutionary movement. Joining the RCP(b) helped the young man make a career in publishing and in the field of Soviet journalism. For 15 years, when Pavel Petrovich had the opportunity to travel, he returned to his native land and communicated closely with the local working population.

In the period from 1923-1929, Bazhov wrote more than 40 famous fairy tales. The writer’s first book, “The Ural Were,” did not become widely known. But the second collection of Ural tales, entitled “The Malachite Box” (1939), brought the author all-Union fame and recognition from the party and government.

Note to readers! In the troubled 30s of the 20th century, Pavel Bazhov miraculously escaped repression. His colleagues in the publishing industry were subject to articles, and the aspiring writer got away with expulsion from the party.

Despite all the hardships of life, the brilliant folklorist continued to create. He gave Soviet citizens and the entire world community a whole galaxy of unique heroes. Every schoolchild in the great country of the USSR knew the original characters of Bazhov, who had real Ural prototypes:

— The fairy tale “The Stone Flower” is one of the most famous fairy tales of the publicist. The story tells about Danilo the master, who was captured by the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Such a hero really existed in reality, and his name was Danila Zverev. He became famous throughout the Urals, and then throughout Russia, as a mining master with true artistic talent.

— Grandfather Slyshko (Ural worker Vasily Khmelinin) is the narrator from the Malachite Box. The writer fell in love with the colorful character in his early youth, and the author wrote down many interesting stories from the words of this wise, soulful old man.

— In the legend “Ermakov’s Swans,” the Cossack chieftain Ermak appears. This hero is one of the most revered people in the Urals. He expanded the territories of Russia to the east, conquered Siberia and forever went down in history as the collector of Russian lands.

In his author's tales, Bazhov often mentions ordinary people, for whom hard work in harsh natural conditions is a native and familiar reality. Despite all the difficulties that befall the heroes of fairy tales, they remain kind, bright people who love their work. They never stop believing and hoping for happiness, and nature generously gifts the Ural craftsmen with gold and precious gems.

All Bazhov's fairy tales on one page

With the light hand of a talented writer, a genre appeared in Soviet literature - the Ural tale. It is an oral narrative immortalized by the author in a children's book. The tales contain the kind voice of a skilled storyteller who speaks in an original folk dialect. And the retelling is full of colorful local expressions, folk proverbs and sayings.

For those who are not yet familiar with the work of the famous folklorist Pavel Petrovich Bazhov, a sparkling scattering of his Ural legends is presented. Children and adults are recommended to read these wonderful stories:

Mistress of Copper Mountain- a tale about a mystical character who appeared as a mining worker in the form of a beautiful maiden or a large lizard wearing a golden crown. Masters studying the incomprehensible beauty of the stone fell under the influence of the Copper Beauty and got lost in the deep caves of the old Ural mines.

Sinyushkin well is a fairy tale about Grandma Sinyushka, Baba Yaga’s cousin. Where she settled, full wells of precious stones were found.

Silver hoof- a heartfelt tale about a young goat who knocked out multi-colored stones with his hoof. Meeting with the elusive spirit of the forest brought people wealth and simple human happiness.

Blue snake- a story about a magical snake pointing to deposits of native gold. Anyone who is lucky enough to see a wriggling snake in the forest will certainly find a secret gold mine.

Jumping Firefly- a wonderful tale about the Golden Woman. She appears near new mining developments and starts a merry dance in rich gold mines.

Cat's ears- a fascinating story about an earthen cat. This mystical animal appears in the form of dangerous sulfur gas over the mountain deposits of the Urals.

Great Snake- a tale about a spirit guarding gold reserves. The writer took the colorful image from the folk superstitions of local residents, ancient families of the Khanty and Mansi. The image of the guardian of gold mines is still found today in Ural legends, in the signs of working miners and miners of precious ore.

Bazhov's most popular fairy tales are included in the golden fund of educational children's literature. The stories, written in large print and with bright illustrations, are easily understood by children of any age. Parents are recommended to read children's books to their children at night, and it is useful for teachers of schools and kindergartens to include Bazhov's fairy tales in the extracurricular reading program.

Fairy tales for children 3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, 10 years old... for kindergarten children of all ages, school students and their parents, teachers and educators. Happy reading!